17/06/2025 (Agence Europe) – In 2024, 13.6% of children under the age of 16 in the EU were materially deprived. This figure (https://aeur.eu/f/hd1 ), published by the European Commission’s statistical office, Eurostat, on Friday 13 June, relates to the inability to obtain at least 3 of the 17 goods or services considered necessary or desirable for an “acceptable” standard of living. The highest rates were recorded in Greece (33.6%), Romania (31.8%) and Bulgaria (30.4%), while the lowest were in Croatia (2.7%), Slovenia (3.8%) and Sweden (5.6%). In addition, Eurostat finds a correlation between material deprivation and the parents’ level of education: the rate is 5.6% when the parents have higher education, compared with 39.1% if they have at most lower secondary education. (NP)